The pitching hero of Campbell’s 2012 OIA softball championship started this season as a hero with the bat.
Summer Palipti drove a 3-0 pitch over the center-field fence and the Campbell softball team began defense of its OIA championship with an 8-7 win over Waianae in nine innings on Tuesday at Campbell.
Palipti, who beat Kapolei in last year’s OIA Red title game, was 0-for-3 before her winning blast on Tuesday. Waianae pitcher Rae Diorec owned her by busting her inside during the game, but left the telling pitch over the middle. As Waianae centerfielder Kaylee Kamaka ran over the fence to try to track down Palipti’s blast, Diorec looked directly to Waianae’s bench and put her glove to her chest as if to own up to the mistake.
Campbell won its season opener, while Waianae dropped to 0-1. But starting off undefeated was not the only reason Palipti wanted to end it. The senior center fielder was feeling a bit under the weather and would have been just as happy if her team could have closed it out in the regulation seven innings.
“I just wanted it to be over,” Palipti said. “I just want to go home and sleep.”
There is no special treatment for a girl who wins it with a walk-off. She had to help her mates roll up the outfield fence before heading home.
“Summer is one of our leaders this year,” Campbell coach Michael Hermosura said. “She will be doing it all, pitching and fielding and hitting with a lot of discipline. Her approach was pretty good in that at-bat.”
Waianae, which played Campbell for 17 innings in a win last year, rallied for four runs in the top of the seventh to take a 7-6 lead when Paige Kahalepuna cleared the bases with a single to left that plated three runs before being thrown out trying to make it to third.
The Sabers responded in the bottom half of the inning when Caragh Morris moved all the way around from first on a sacrifice bunt by Nashlynn Anguay that ended up in right field on an errant throw. The Seasiders got out of it, but only managed one baserunner against Campbell pitcher Elisa Favela in the eighth and ninth innings. Palipti was Campbell’s only baserunner in extra innings.
The Sabers are fresh off the JV championship and leaned heavily on four members of that team against Waianae, including Favela, who scattered 14 hits and went the distance for the Sabers and seemed in control until the seventh. Outlasting Diorec, who pitched Waianae to the state tournament last year, is not a bad start to a career.
“She is going to be one of our top pitchers,” Hermosura said of Favela. “She worked hard all year and learned a lot of pitches. Not to take anything away from the returnees, but we have a lot of talented young girls this year.”
Campbell continues its season on Saturday against Leilehua, while Waianae hosts Kapolei on Thursday.
At Campbell
Waianae (0-1) 000 111 400 — 7 14 4
Campbell (1-0) 210 030 101 — 8 10 1
Rae Diorec and Willy Perez. Elisa Favela and Caragh Morris. W—Favela. L—Diorec
Leading hitters—Wain: Randie Santiago 2-4; Kaylee Kamaka 2-5, HR; Kamalani Kamai 3-5, 2B, RBI; Paige Kahelepuna 2-4, 3 RBI. Camp: Summer Palipti 1-4, HR; Morris 3-3, HR, 3 RBIs; Chardonay Pantastico 2-4.
OIA Red East
Moanalua 6, Castle 1
Makamae Kaleikini had two hits and drove in a run as Na Menehune defeated the Knights.
At Castle
Moanalua (1-0) 010 020 3 — 6 8 0
Castle (0-1) 000 001 0 — 1 6 2
Leisha Yamauchi and Chrissi Omalza. Brandee Lane and Kawai Hussey. W—Yamauchi. L—Lane.
Leading hitters—Moan: Makamae Kaleikini 2-3, RBI; Miki Sylva 3b. Cas: Alana Igafo 2-3; Paige Suzuki 2b; Lane 2-3.
Kahuku 23, Kalaheo 13, 5 innings
Taina Aumua-Yamamoto hit a grand slam in the first inning to help lift the Red Raiders over the Mustangs.
At Kahuku
Kalaheo (0-1) 035 32 — 13 5 5
Kahuku (1-0) 548 15 — 23 10 6
U. Perry, J. Howard (3) and M. Sasaki, Perry (3). Kulia Kaowili, Taina Aumua-Yamamoto (3) and Loke Manaaupo-Eugenio. W—Aumua-Yamamoto. L—Howard.
Leading hitters—Kalh: Howard 2-4, 2 runs; M. Kahanu 2 runs; S. Rollins 2 runs; Sasaki 3 runs. Kah: Hinano Uli 2-5, 5 runs; Aumua-Yamamoto 2-5, HR, 2 runs, 3 RBIs; Manaaupo-Eugenio 2-5, HR, 4 runs, 2 RBIs.
Also
Kaimuki 8, Kailua 5
OIA Red West
Mililani 11, Kapolei 0
The Trojans were hot with at bat, scoring 11 runs off of nine hits in a shutout of the Hurricanes.
At Kapolei
Mililani (1-0) 201 103 4 — 11 9 2
Kapolei (0-1) 000 000 0 — 0 3 5
Joen Baker and Kacie Oshiro. Kacee Navarro and Alecia Kupihea. W—Baker. L—Navarro.
Leading hitters—Mil: Oshiro 2-5, 2b run, RBI; Kylie Bello 2-3, 2b, 2 runs, 2 RBIs; Karly Macadangdang 2-3, 2 RBIs; Baker HR, run, 3 RBIs.
Waipahu 5, Leilehua 0
Shevan DeFreitas tossed a no-hitter and hit a two-run homer as the Marauders blanked the Mules.
DeFreitas, whose home run came in the second inning, struck out five batters and walked one.
Tali Viliamu added two RBIs for the Marauders.
At Waipahu
Leilehua (0-1) 000 000 0 — 0 0 0
Waipahu (1-0) 032 000 x — 5 7 1
T. Palomares and S. Akina-Sanborn. Shevan DeFreitas and Shandell Palencia. W—DeFreitas. L—Palomares.
Leading hitters—Waip: DeFreitas HR, 2 RBIs; Tali Viliamu 2 RBIs.
OIA White
Kaiser 18, Radford 0, 5 inn.
Rainelle Matsuoka went 3-for-5 as the Cougars shut out the Rams in 5 innings.
At Radford
Kaiser (1-0) 029 52 — 18 7 1
Radford (0-1) 000 00 — 0 2 4
Crystal Ching-Lake, Kim Vilda (4) and Kyra Hoohuli. Cheyanne Dochwat, Kyler Green (4) and Ilona Peterson. W—Ching-Lake. L—Dochwat.
Leading hitters—Kais: Rainelle Matsuoka 3-5, 5 RBIs; Tiana Ching-Lake 2-3, 2 RBIs; Chelsea Soong 2 RBIs.
